Murder
Is it really the way to stop crime?
Can you really stop crime with another crime?
Is it worth throwing away everything that we stand for?
BATMAN BEYOND REVISITED
EPISODE:
SPELLBOUND GHUL PART 2
"Yes. I am Ra's al Ghul, Head of the Demon."
I furrowed my brows and spat in the direction the voice was coming from.
"You're a sociopath."
Ra's sighed and wiped the saliva off his cheek.
"Spellbinder, knock him out and put Jake where we found him."
Before I could say anything, I saw a red and black swirling for a few brief moments before passing out.
A short while later, I woke back up in the Batcave.
I sat up.
I felt groggy as hell.
"How are you feeling?" Oracle asked, sitting next to the medical bed.
"How did I get back here?" I asked, rubbing my head.
"Dick went to retrieve you once your suits biometrics went back online and sent out a signal back to the batcave."
I looked at Dick for a few moments and nodded.
I looked back at Oracle, realizing I hadn't answered her question. "Feeling like I slept horribly on a bed of rocks."
"That's how Bruce always described it when he went up against Mad Hatter or Scarecrow."
"Who?"
"They were before your time." Dick said, sitting at the batcomputer. "You wouldn't know who they are.
"Right. So, tell me about this Spellbinder."
Dick started typing away at the computer.
"Ira Billings. Former high school psychologist. Fired for secretly drugging kids and testing chemicals on them in daily meetings. Sent to prison for forty years, but he broke free. Now it appears he teamed up with Ra's."
"Wait, isn't he a criminal? Why would he team up with a man Hell-bent on killing criminals?"
Oracle and I went over to Dick, though I had to watch my step, as I was still woozy from being knocked out.
"Ra's broke him out of prison. It's likely he's just paying his debts. I'd say Ra's needed him to get to you."
"So, a mind control freak and a criminal with the goal of killing all criminals have teamed up to either get me to work with them or kill me."
"Yep." They both said in unison.
"I'm going back out there. There's an offer I need to decline."
I saw my batsuit back in its place with the others. Totally black except for the symbol on the chest and the belt with white lenses where the eyes are.
I went over to grab it, but Grayson stood in front of me.
"You're not going. These are two criminals you can't handle. You'll let me take care of this and you'll go rest up for school."
"I'm not in school. I got expelled."
"Go upstairs and rest."
"I can take them."
"NO."
I clenched my fists and snapped.
"Why do you care if I can or can't take them, anyways?! Wouldn't it be better if I did die, anyways?! You hate the idea of me being Batman so much, I might as well die. Get out of your hair."
That stunned him long enough for me to grab my suit and get in the jet.
Hours of silence passed by.
Not a word from Oracle or the former Nightwing.
Not a sign of Ra's or Spellbinder.
I sighed and started to turn the jet around, but then I saw Spellbinder on one of the roof tops.
I landed the jet, watching to see what he would do.
I waited ten minutes, but he didn't even twitch.
I guess he was waiting for me.
I got out of the jet and walked towards him, carefully watching my step this time.
"I was hoping you'd show up."
"Well, here I am, SB. Where is Ra's?"
"Behind you."
I turned around.
What I saw was an old, though definitely not frail, man with a pointed chin, black hair with gray sideburns, and demonicly shaped green eyes.
He wore a black-ish brown medieval tunic with a katana at his side.
"So, you're the great Ra's al Ghul.
I expected you to be shorter. You know, since you lived so long."
Ra's frowned, but kept his composure.
"So, are you taking me up on my offer?"
"No. I'm here to kick your ass."
I jumped over at Ra's and he easily knocked me to the side.
"You should reconsider."
"Ra's, I agree with you. Some criminals do need to die. But I wont join you if it means leaving behind Nightwing and Oracle."
Ra's started to laugh.
"What? What's so funny?"
Ra's looked me in the eyes and I got a horrible feeling in my stomach.
"You won't need to worry about them for long."
